A study on the prescription pattern of antifungal drugs in the Dermatology Department of a tertiary care teaching hospital in Southern Kerala

Abstract

Background: Skin disorders form 2% of total Out Patient Department consultations worldwide. But no such data is available from India. Studying prescription pattern is a component of medical audit that help prescribers to provide rational and cost-effective medical care. This study is about the prescription pattern of antifungals in this institution and will help in developing local policies for appropriate use of antifungal drugs. The objective was to study the prescription pattern of antifungals in dermatological diseases.Methods: This is a retrospective study conducted from 1st June 2017 to 30th November 2017 in Dermatology Department. Prescriptions included all newly diagnosed patients with cutaneous fungal infection of both sex who attended Dermatology OPD. Factors considered were sociodemographic parameters, number of patients with combination and monotherapy, number of single topical agents and Fixed Dose Combination (FDC) details of prescribing indicators.Results: 1500 prescriptions were analysed; 500 prescriptions were of fungal infection. 40.2% of the patients were in 18-35 years age group. There were a greater number of males (59.6%) than females (40.4%).Conclusions: The most common oral antifungal used was fluconazole. Terbinafine and clotrimazole were the most commonly used topical agents.